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Ukuvuka KukaKhristu Ekufeni
1 Bazalwane, ngithanda ukulikhumbuza ngevangeli engalitshumayela kini, elalamukelayo njalo eselimi ngalo. 2 Ngalelivangeli liyasindiswa, nxa libambelela elizwini engalitshumayela kini. Nxa kungenjalo, selikholwe ize.
3 Ngoba engakwamukelayo lami ngakudlulisela kini njengokuqakatheke kakhulu: ukuthi uKhristu wafela izono zethu mayelana lemibhalo, 4 lokuthi wangcwatshwa, lokuthi wavuswa kwabafileyo ngosuku lwesithathu njengokutsho kwemibhalo, 5 kanye lokuthi wabonakala kuKhefasi, wasebonakala kwabalitshumi lambili. 6 Emva kwalokho wabonakala kubazalwane abadlula amakhulu amahlanu sikhathi sinye, inengi labo lilokhu lisaphila, lanxa abanye sebalala. 7 Wabuya wabonakala kuJakhobe, wasebonakala kubapostoli bonke, 8 kwathi ekucineni wabonakala kimi futhi, njengalowo ozelwe ngendlela engajayelekanga.
9 Ngoba mina ngingomncane kubapostoli njalo kangifanelanga lokuthiwa ngingumpostoli ngoba ngahlukuluza ibandla likaNkulunkulu. 10 Kodwa ngenxa yomusa kaNkulunkulu ngiyilokhu engiyikho njalo umusa wakhe kawubanga yize kimi. Hatshi, mina ngasebenza kakhulu kulabo bonke, kungayisimi belo kodwa kungumusa kaNkulunkulu owawukimi. 11 Ngakho langabe kwakuyimi loba kuyibo, lokhu yikho esikutshumayelayo njalo lokhu yikho elakukholwayo.
Ukuvuka Kwabafileyo
12 Kodwa nxa kutshunyayelwa ukuthi uKhristu wavuswa kwabafileyo, pho bangakutsho kanjani abanye benu ukuthi akukho ukuvuka kwabafileyo na? 13 Nxa kungekho ukuvuka kwabafileyo, loKhristu kavuswanga phela. 14 Njalo nxa uKhristu engavuswanga, ukutshumayela kwethu akusizi lutho njalo lunjalo lokholo lwenu. 15 Phezu kwalokho, singatholakala singofakazi bamanga ngoNkulunkulu ngoba sifakaze ngoNkulunkulu ukuthi wavusa uKhristu kwabafileyo. Kodwa kamvusanga nxa ngempela abafileyo bengayi kuvuswa. 16 Nxa abafileyo bengayi kuvuswa, ngakho loKhristu kavuswanga. 17 Nxa uKhristu engavuswanga kwabafileyo ukholo lwenu luyize; lilokhu lisezonweni zenu. 18 Lalabo abafa bekuKhristu balahlekile phela. 19 Nxa sithembele kuKhristu kulokhukuphila kuphela, sizazwelwa usizi kakhulu kulabantu bonke.
20 Kodwa ngempela uKhristu wavuswa kwabafileyo, izithelo zakuqala zalabo asebelele. 21 Ngoba njengoba ukufa kweza ngomuntu, ukuvuka kwabafileyo lakho kuza ngomuntu. 22 Ngoba njengoba ku-Adamu bonke besifa, ngokunjalo kuKhristu bonke bazaphiliswa. 23 Kodwa yilowo lalowo ngethuba lakhe: UKhristu, oyizithelo zakuqala; kuzakuthi ekubuyeni kwakhe, kuvuke labo abangabakhe. 24 Lapho-ke isiphetho sizafika esenikela umbuso kaNkulunkulu uBaba emva kokuba esechithe imibuso yonke, ubukhosi kanye lamandla. 25 Ngoba kumele abuse uNkulunkulu aze azibeke zonke izitha zakhe ngaphansi kwezinyawo zakhe. 26 Isitha sokucina esizachithwa, yikufa. 27 Ngoba uNkulunkulu “usebeke izinto zonke ngaphansi kwezinyawo zakhe.”* Kodwa nxa kuthiwa “izinto zonke” sezibekwe ngaphansi kwakhe, kusobala ukuthi lokhu akugoqeli uNkulunkulu yena ngokwakhe, owabeka izinto zonke ngaphansi kukaKhristu. 28 Lapho esekwenzile lokhu, iNdodana uqobo izakuba ngaphansi kwakhe yena owabeka izinto zonke ngaphansi kwakhe, ukuze uNkulunkulu abe yikho konke, kukho konke.
29 Nxa kungelakuvuka ekufeni, pho bazakwenzani labo ababhaphathizelwe abafileyo na? Nxa abafileyo bengavuswa, pho kungani abantu bebhaphathizwa ngenxa yabo na? 30 Thina-ke, sizifakelani engozini isikhathi sonke na? 31 Mina ngifa nsuku zonke, ngitsho khonokho bazalwane, ngeqiniso engiziqhenya ngalo ngani kuKhristu uJesu iNkosi yethu. 32 Nxa ngalwa lezilo zeganga e-Efesu ngenxa yabantu, ngazuzani na? Nxa abafileyo bengavuswa,
“Kasidleni sinathe,
ngoba kusasa sizakufa.”†
33 Lingedukiswa: “Abangane ababi bayasona isimilo esihle.” 34 Khumbulani ngengqondo zenu njengokumele likwenze, licine ukwenza izono; ngoba kulabanye abangamaziyo uNkulunkulu, ngitsho lokhu ukuze libelenhloni.
Umzimba Wokuvuswa Ekufeni
35 Kodwa omunye angabuza athi, “Abafileyo bavuswa njani na? Bazabuya belemizimba enjani na?” 36 Yeka ubuwula! Elikuhlanyelayo akuphili ngaphandle kokuba kufe. 37 Lapho lihlanyela, kalihlanyeli umzimba ozakuba khona kodwa inhlanyelo nje, mhlawumbe eyengqoloyi loba okunye lakho. 38 Kodwa uNkulunkulu uyinika umzimba njengokuthanda kwakhe njalo uhlobo ngalunye lwenhlanyelo ulunika umzimba walo. 39 Inyama yonke kayifanani: Abantu balohlobo lunye lwenyama, izinyamazana zilolunye, izinyoni olunye lenhlanzi olunye. 40 Njalo kulezidalwa zasezulwini lezidalwa zasemhlabeni; kodwa inkazimulo yezidalwa zasezulwini ingolunye uhlobo, lenkazimulo yezidalwa zasemhlabeni ingolunye. 41 Ilanga lilolunye uhlobo lwenkazimulo, inyanga olunye lezinkanyezi olunye; njalo inkanyezi iyehluka kwenye inkanyezi ngokukhazimula.
42 Kuzakuba njalo-ke ngokuvuka kwabafileyo. Umzimba ohlanyelwayo uyabola, uvuswa ungasaboli; 43 uhlanyelwa useyiswa, uvuswe ngenkazimulo; uhlanyelwa ubuthakathaka, 44 uvuswe usungumzimba olamandla.
Nxa kulomzimba wemvelo, ukhona njalo lomzimba womoya. 45 Ngakho kulotshiwe ukuthi: “Umuntu wakuqala u-Adamu waba yisidalwa esiphilayo”‡; kodwa u-Adamu wokucina waba ngumoya ophilisayo. 46 Owomoya kafikanga kuqala, kodwa owemvelo, emva kwalokho kwafika owomoya. 47 Umuntu wakuqala wayenziwe ngothuli lomhlabathi; umuntu wesibili wavela ezulwini. 48 Njengoba wayenjalo umuntu wasemhlabeni, banjalo lalabo abangabomhlaba; njalo njengoba enjalo umuntu ovela ezulwini, banjalo labo abangabasezulwini. 49 Njalo njengoba silesimo somuntu wasemhlabeni, ngokunjalo sizakuba lesimo somuntu ovela ezulwini.
50 Bazalwane, ngithi kini inyama legazi akungeke kudle ilifa lombuso kaNkulunkulu, lokubolayo akulidli ilifa lokungaboliyo. 51 Lalelani, ngilitshela imfihlakalo: Kasiyikufa sonke, kodwa sonke sizaguqulwa, 52 ngesikhatshana, ngokucwayiza kwelihlo, ngecilongo lokucina. Ngoba icilongo lizakhala, abafileyo bazavuswa bengabolanga, njalo sizaguqulwa. 53 Ngoba okubolayo kumele kuzigqokise ngokungaboliyo, lokufayo ngokungafiyo. 54 Nxa okubolayo sekugqokiswe okungaboliyo, lokufayo okungafiyo, kuzagcwaliseka isitsho esilotshiweyo esithi: “Ukufa kuginyiwe ekunqobeni.”§
55 “Kungaphi, we kufa, ukunqoba kwakho?
Lungaphi udonsi lwakho, we kufa?”*
56 Udonsi lokufa yisono, lamandla esono ngumthetho. 57 Kodwa kabongwe uNkulunkulu! Uyasinika ukunqoba ngeNkosi yethu uJesu Khristu.
58 Ngakho-ke, bazalwane bami abathandekayo, manini liqine. Akungabi lalutho olulinyikinyayo. Zinikeleni ngokupheleleyo emsebenzini weNkosi izikhathi zonke ngoba liyakwazi ukuthi ukusebenza kwenu eNkosini akusilo ize.
* 15:27 AmaHubo 8.6 † 15:32 U-Isaya 22.13 ‡ 15:45 UGenesisi 2.7 § 15:54 U-Isaya 25.8 * 15:55 UHosiya 13.14